Without the Internet, what would you do?

It’s fair to say that using the Internet today is just about as important as eating or breathing.

If you think that’s an exaggeration, consider this. If you’re an average Internet user, a recent poll by Harris reveals that you spend around 13 hours a week online. This number excludes e-mail which, of course, would make time online even higher.

Whether for work, play, socializing or shopping, doing just about anything without access to the Internet is becoming hard to imagine. As the Harris Interactive poll revealed:

80% of U.S. adults go online at home, work, or elsewhere

20% are online for 2 hours or less a week

14% are there for 24 hours or more

Never enough: Time spent online keeps rising.

The average number of hours that people spend online each week has risen over the years as well. From 1999 through 2002, usage was about 7 hours. By 2008 it had climbed to 14 hours. And 30 to 39-year-olds are now spending more than 18 hours per week online. Here in the San Francisco Bay area, that number is sure to be a lot higher.

According to even more recent data from Nielsen, nearly 209 million people in the US spend an average of 29 hours a week online. And Facebook users spend an average of 6 hours on just that site.

With this ubiquitous reliance on the net, what is one to do when you can’t access this now essential resource—for whatever reason?

Analogue and other non-digital alternatives.

This light-hearted infographic could provide some much needed relief for the frustration of not being able to get online. And in spite of the inconvenience, you may not be able to work or play, but at least you’ll still be breathing.

When the net’s down, what do you do?

What’s your recourse when you can’t get online? Share your favorite alternative until you get reconnected.